Douglas vs. Van Arsdale is the new “Bout of the Week” on USA Wrestling Members-Only website

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
03/08/2004


USA Wrestling has updated its new "Bout of the Week" on USA Wrestling's Members-Only website.    The featured match this week will be the second match from the Melvin Douglas vs. Mike Van Arsdale championship series at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at 90 kg/198 lbs. in men's freestyle wrestling.    This match was held in Spokane, Wash. Douglas, who had won a number of World medals prior to this series, had not made an Olympic team to this point in his career. Van Arsdale, a veteran star, had put together his best season to qualify for the finals against Douglas. Douglas was known for his quickness and tremendous power from his hips and legs. Van Arsdale had a combination of height, power and natural skills that made him a tough match for anybody.    After Douglas won this series, he went on to place seventh at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. Moving up in weight, Douglas also earned a spot on the 2000 Olympic team, but was defeated in his pool by the eventual gold-medalist from Russia.     His World Championships record is impressive, winning a medal of every kind. He was a 1993 World Champion in Toronto, Canada, earning the title after his finalist opponent Abbas Jadidi of Iran tested positive for doping. His World silver medals came in 1989. Douglas added a World bronze medals in 1994 and 1995. Other World placements was fifth in 1998 and ninth in 1997.    Douglas has won eight U.S. Nationals titles. He has been a Pan American Games champion and a World Cup champion. He also boasts a pair of silver medals from the Goodwill Games.     Douglas, at the age of 40, is still wrestling. He made a comeback this fall at the ASU/Sunkist Kids International Open, his first event since wrestling in the 2000 Olympic Games.     He was a two-time NCAA champion for the Univ. of Oklahoma. Originally from Topeka, Kan., Douglas won three state high school titles for Topeka Highland Park High School. He is now the proud father of a Div. I softball player, daughter Christina who plays for Ohio State Univ.    Van Arsdale made a run at three U.S. Olympic Teams, placing second behind Douglas in 1996, and placing fourth in both the 1992 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. In spite of being a top challenger every year, Van Arsdale did not ever make a U.S. World or Olympic team.    He competed for the U.S. Army late in his career, and was a 2000 CISM World Military champion. He became a coach with the U.S. Army, helping to train many of the talented Army freestyle wrestlers.    His biggest international title was a gold medal at the 1997 World Cup in Stillwater, Okla,, the historic event where the USA beat Russia in every single match during their finals dual meet. He showed his potential in freestyle while still very young, winning a Junior World silver medal back in 1983. Van Arsdale  was twice a U.S. Nationals runner-up as well as an Armed Forces champion.    Van Arsdale was a 1998 NCAA champion for Iowa State Univ., and a three-time All-American. Originally from Waterloo, Iowa, Van Arsdale was an Iowa state champion and runner-up for Waterloo West High School.    This popular feature will be changed on a regular basis, allowing members to enjoy many of the greatest matches in wrestling history.     Moving into the archived section of Bouts of the Week was last week's 1988 Ike Anderson vs. Buddy Lee men's Greco-Roman match. Many other entertaining and historic matches are in the archive section for the Bout of the Week.     USA Wrestling has done a complete redesign and expansion of its Members-Only website, providing all USA Wrestling members with an impressive new resource stocked with interactive learning tools and entertaining features.     This on-line resource is available free of charge only to current members of USA Wrestling, one of the most exciting benefits of joining the organization.    USA Wrestling members will only need to enter the number from their 2003-04 membership card into an entry form, and the exciting new Members-Only page will become available to them.    RECENT BOUTS OF THE WEEK PLACED IN ARCHIVE  1988 Ike Anderson vs. Buddy Lee men's Greco-Roman match  1996 Tom Brands vs. Jang Jae-Sung men's freestyle match  2004 Eric Larkin vs. T.J. Williams men's freestyle match  1992 Rodney Smith vs. Cecilio Rodriguez men's Greco-Roman match.  1988 Rico Chiapparelli vs. Lukman Jabrailov men's freestyle match  2003 Kristie Marano vs. Ewelina Pruszko women's freestyle match  1999 Stephen Neal vs. Andrei Shumilin men's freestyle match  2003 Cael Sanderson vs. Sajid Sajidov men's freestyle match